Landfill workers at Republic Services, Phoenix, became the third company-affiliated unit in the San Diego area to organize with Teamsters Local 542 when they voted overwhelmingly to join the union on April 4.
By a 28-5 vote, heavy equipment operators, mechanics, laborers and weigh station scale house attendants voted to align with the Teamsters after a two-month campaign. Wages, benefits and job security are top concerns for the 35 workers in the unit, according to a release.
Jaime Vasquez, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 542, said the workers stood strong despite efforts to sway their decision.
"The company hired an anti-union outfit to try to convince the employees not to vote for the union," he says. "But obviously it didn't work. The union-busting company had no creditability."
The landfill workers join two other San Diego-based Republic Service waste hauler locations as members of Local 542.
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